The Secret Ingredient (Cinnamon): Apple Cinnamon Sparkling Sangria

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March's Secret Ingredient is cinnamon: warm, familiar, but also exotic and multifaceted. For our first recipe, I've thrown together an unconventional sangria with the familiar combination of apples and cinnamon. I start with very dry French apple cider and the famed apple brandy Calvados, then swirl them together with a cinnamon-infused simple syrup, made from steeping water and sugar with cinnamon sticks. Lastly, I toss in fresh apples and let it all stew together for a slightly sweet, apple-y punch. It's fun, it's different, and it's very full of cinnamon in a slightly different way than you'd normally taste it. Santé!